Starlit Terrace Famous Places
Starlit Terrace is the most opulant and ritzy of October City's five districts. In addition to a number of gated communities lived in by the wealthy and the famous, the Terrace offers many upscale and high-end attractions for tourists and residents. Originally a Spanish ranch where lima beans were grown, Starlit Terrace was incorporated in 1914 by a group of investors seeking oil but whom found water instead. As of the 2016 census, Starlit Terrace boasts a population of 34, 658. Famous Places Many of the following locations are well-known across the nation and in some cases are internationally famous. 1. The Olympic Industries Building The beautiful Olympic Industries facility looks more like a park than a business. It has vast, well-maintained lawns and numerous fountains which attract pigeons and ducks, a dozen peacocks strut across lawns with their tails spread wide. Just inside the entrance is the DeLacour, a three star fine dining establishment featuring classic French cuisine. The restaurant caters to the public and is open daily from 1 PM to 11 PM and is by reservation only. 2. The Starlit Terrace Women's Club Opened in 1916 as a social club, STWC served as a Red Cross headquarters at the start of WWI. In 1925, they raised US$4,000 at a horse show attended by the likes of Hobart Bosworth, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Stanley S. Anderson, Cecilia DeMille (daughter of Cecil B. DeMille), Charles E. Toberman, Silsby Spalding, and Alphonzo Bell. Later that year, they used that money to move into the newly constructed clubhouse. The clubhouse is a one-story, stucco-clad Spanish Colonial Revival with a tiled hip roof. It features pilasters, scrolled brackets, an entablature topped by a pediment with a shield and urn motif surrounding the main door, and casement windows. Listed as a Historical Landmark today, the Clubhouse is often used by the wealthy and well-known celebrities as a location for televised fund-raisers. 3. Starlight Park Starlight Park is the largest public park in the area, opened in 1922. It features a two mile long jogging path, many hundred year old cyprus and ficas trees, sculptures, and the iconic Starlight sign. The semiannual fair, the Starlit Terrace Art Show, is held in the Park's central blocks during the third week of every May and features the works of 20,000 artists from around the world. 4. Helenic Mansion Helenic Mansion, also known as the Johnson Estate, is the home of Olympic Industries CEO Echo Johnson. This 55 room Tudor Revival style mansion was built in 1928 at the cost of $4 million, which made it the most expensive home in California. The House and grounds are often used in filmmaking and television production and it's decscending staircase is one of the most famous sets in October City. Helenic Mansion has been featured in The Big Lebowsky, All of Me, and'' Death Becomes Her''. Ms. Johnson has opened the grounds as a public park, and the house serves as the location for The Annual Halloween Ball, where hundreds of celebrities gather each year for a grand fashion show, dinner, and an auction to benefit the Olympic Foundation, a charity run by the Johnson sisters to help needy children around the world. 5. The Grand Foyer Hotel A palace of opulence and ostentatious richness, the unofficial policy of the Grand is that it doesn't admit anyone making less than six figures a year. Since it can't enforce such a policy legally it makes up for it by charging room rates that place the hotel well beyond the means of the average family of four. The interior of the hotel features rooms with indoor jacuzzis and wide sheltered balconies, its very own nightclub called Squash, and a one star gourmet Asian-American fusion restaurant called Gambit. For a handful, the real appeal of the Grand Foyer is the hyped rumor that the building is haunted by the builder and first owner Victor Garza, whom built the hotel in 1943. Visitors claim to have seen the Wraith on the terrace overlooking the swimming pool or seated at his favorite booth in Squash, and have smelled the unmistakably rough aroma of the central American cigars he was so fond of. 6. Spara alla Luna This ambient-laden dual art gallery and restaurant is owned and operated by Lucinde Binacci, October City's most prominent and famous artist. Spara alla Luna displays artworks created not only by Miss Binacci but artists and artwork from around the United States, South America, and Canada. The rear section of the building hosts the restaurant, which features the finest of Italian cuisine. Spara alla Luna's head chef, Antonio DiMarco, is such a snobbish stickler for serving Italian food in the honest, Old World way that someone seeking a full plate of spaghetti dinner will be sadly disappointed because, in Italy, pasta is served as a starter and not a complete meal. Spara alla Luna features such tantalizing dishes as Wild Rice Risotto with White Truffle, Bottara Carbonara, and Carpaccio made fresh in the restaurant. The Supernatural Community As far as Dame Samantha has been able to determine, the supernatural presence in Starlit Terrace is relatively low, most likely owing to having such a strong Technocracy presence in the area. The Dame has certain evidence to support her theory that at least one vampire makes a lair in Starlit Terrace. This singular vampire seems to wield a lot of control over all of the vampires in October City, perhaps serving as some sort of figurehead or leader. Aside from this entity, the Dame has not been able to determine if there are any other vampires in the Terrace. The Dame is convinced that most of the werewolves of October City are found here in the Terrace. She has accumulated many stories and reports that hint that a huge pack of the creatures at one time could be found in or around the park. She counted the size of the pack as at least 12 in the beginning, but estimates that since the disturbance began that number has dwindled down to only five remaining werewolves. As for the Grand Foyer, Dame Samantha has never had the opportunity to stay there and attempt to communicate with the rumored ghost so she simply...doesn't know.